I finished a new "Shepard of the Dead" short story today. I've tentatively titled it, "Heart of a Home."

I'm working on fleshing out how the protagonist grew up and where his values come from. Often times in fiction (or action movies), I notice the good guys seem to be arbitrarily made "good" by a well-intentioned writer. Little effort is taken to back up the "why" behind where they draw the line, which is a shame because there's so much more story there that the writer could pull from. I've been guilty of that myself, a time or two.

This story was particularly fun, because I'm also trying to keep my details true to the medieval time period. Which led to Pintrest, Google and Wikipedia searches for things like the difference between medieval brushes and wooden combs, the anatomy of a rice barrel, the difference between a "hut" and a "cottage" and the expected effects of extreme isolation on various aspects of a child's development.

This is one of the things I love about being a writer though, you are always learning. Sure, I could do something similar if I wrote non-fiction and just cut straight to the facts. But those stories wouldn't be nearly as much fun to put together.

Let's face it, if the man who wrote the novel, "The Princess Bride" had instead focused on his passion (describing Floridian culture) and ignored the story all-together, his book would never have become a classic film.

Hopefully, one day one of my novels can rise to the same distinction. For the moment, however, I'm content with the esteemed company of my fellow readers. Have a wonderful day, folks. Talk to you later!